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It’s been a rollercoaster week for the eco-zealots. The Cop29 climate jamboree, the highlight of their calendar year, is just around the corner. And the official review into Ed Miliband’s plans to decarbonise electricity by 2030 last Tuesday warned we’ll need to quadruple our “flexibility” to meet that target, a conclusion that will have been warmly welcomed by those who believe the only way to “go green” is to deprive ourselves of basic modern comforts.
“Flexibility” is a euphemism, of course. What they really mean is something closer to “wartime rationing”, imposed through a mix of moral blackmail and higher bills. It’s exactly what the green fanatics want. Fixing the climate seems to come second to controlling the behaviour of others, hence the vociferous opposition to cleaner energy sources which would provide both security and abundance.
of their crusade. For years we have been fed the myth that the only way for our advanced economy to mitigate climate change is with more austere lifestyles. “Cut back, you don’t really need all the trappings of modernity anyway “, is their message.
“Leading the world on climate change is the right thing to do,” the grandstanding navel-gazers proclaim, even though no one is following. Now we could be about to see that narrative set against an agenda of abundance, one which puts faith in capitalism and technological innovation to lead the low carbon transition.
This contrast comes at a critical juncture. Most eco policies to date have been happening behind the scenes – climate taxes, regulations on businesses. But now they want to attack consumer choice in a way that will be fiercely resisted by ordinary people who don’t want to freeze on wintry nights or bathe in two inches of water.
Last month, the Climate Change Committee quango said our meat and dairy consumption would need to be halved by 2050 to meet net zero. Last week, the Institute For Fiscal Studies said green levies on energy bills would need to rise by an extra £120 per household to sustain Miliband’s agenda.
It’s not moral to legislate privations on the masses. It’s not honest to pretend the only way to reduce emissions is by ignoring economic and technological reality, and kneecapping what’s left of our manufacturing base. Our industrial energy prices are already more than double those of other developed nations. And it’s not reasonable to plough ahead with command-and-control targets, bans and regulations which will hit those on lowest incomes hardest.
Whatever your views on Donald Trump, a defeat for the green mob is a triumph for humanity.
It’s been a rollercoaster week for the eco-zealots. The Cop29 climate jamboree, the highlight of their calendar year, is just around the corner. And the official review into Ed Miliband’s plans to decarbonise electricity by 2030 last Tuesday warned we’ll need to quadruple our “flexibility” to meet that target, a conclusion that will have been warmly welcomed by those who believe the only way to “go green” is to deprive ourselves of basic modern comforts.
“Flexibility” is a euphemism, of course. What they really mean is something closer to “wartime rationing”, imposed through a mix of moral blackmail and higher bills. It’s exactly what the green fanatics want. Fixing the climate seems to come second to controlling the behaviour of others, hence the vociferous opposition to cleaner energy sources which would provide both security and abundance.
of their crusade. For years we have been fed the myth that the only way for our advanced economy to mitigate climate change is with more austere lifestyles. “Cut back, you don’t really need all the trappings of modernity anyway “, is their message.
“Leading the world on climate change is the right thing to do,” the grandstanding navel-gazers proclaim, even though no one is following. Now we could be about to see that narrative set against an agenda of abundance, one which puts faith in capitalism and technological innovation to lead the low carbon transition.
This contrast comes at a critical juncture. Most eco policies to date have been happening behind the scenes – climate taxes, regulations on businesses. But now they want to attack consumer choice in a way that will be fiercely resisted by ordinary people who don’t want to freeze on wintry nights or bathe in two inches of water.
Last month, the Climate Change Committee quango said our meat and dairy consumption would need to be halved by 2050 to meet net zero. Last week, the Institute For Fiscal Studies said green levies on energy bills would need to rise by an extra £120 per household to sustain Miliband’s agenda.
It’s not moral to legislate privations on the masses. It’s not honest to pretend the only way to reduce emissions is by ignoring economic and technological reality, and kneecapping what’s left of our manufacturing base. Our industrial energy prices are already more than double those of other developed nations. And it’s not reasonable to plough ahead with command-and-control targets, bans and regulations which will hit those on lowest incomes hardest.
Whatever your views on Donald Trump, a defeat for the green mob is a triumph for humanity.
